DOCSLIB.ORG

THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE WIDE FIELD CAMERA 3 EARLY RELEASE SCIENCE DATA: PANCHROMATIC FAINT OBJECT COUNTS from 0.2{2 MICRONS WAVELENGTH R Windhorst

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE WIDE FIELD CAMERA 3 EARLY RELEASE SCIENCE DATA: PANCHROMATIC FAINT OBJECT COUNTS from 0.2{2 MICRONS WAVELENGTH R Windhorst University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series Astronomy 2010 THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE WIDE FIELD CAMERA 3 EARLY RELEASE SCIENCE DATA: PANCHROMATIC FAINT OBJECT COUNTS FROM 0.2{2 MICRONS WAVELENGTH R Windhorst S Cohen N Hathi P McCarthy JR R Ryan See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/astro_faculty_pubs Part of the Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons Recommended Citation Windhorst, R; Cohen, S; Hathi, N; McCarthy, P JR; Ryan, R; Yan, H; Baldry, I; Driver, S; Frogel, J; Hill, D; Kelvin, L; Koekemoer, A; Mechtley, M; O'Connell, R; Robotham, A; Rutkowski, M; Seibert, M; Tuffs, R; Balick, B; Bond, H; Bushouse, H; and Calzetti, D, "THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE WIDE FIELD CAMERA 3 EARLY RELEASE SCIENCE DATA: PANCHROMATIC FAINT OBJECT COUNTS FROM 0.2{2 MICRONS WAVELENGTH" (2010). Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series. 956. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/astro_faculty_pubs/956 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Astronomy at ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Astronomy Department Faculty Publication Series by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Authors R Windhorst, S Cohen, N Hathi, P McCarthy JR, R Ryan, H Yan, I Baldry, S Driver, J Frogel, D Hill, L Kelvin, A Koekemoer, M Mechtley, R O'Connell, A Robotham, M Rutkowski, M Seibert, R Tuffs, B Balick, H Bond, H Bushouse, and D Calzetti This article is available at ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/astro_faculty_pubs/956 Submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, May, 2010 Preprint typeset using LATEX style emulateapj v. 11/10/09 THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE WIDE FIELD CAMERA 3 EARLY RELEASE SCIENCE DATA: PANCHROMATIC FAINT OBJECT COUNTS FROM 0.2{2 MICRONS WAVELENGTH Rogier A. Windhorst 1, Seth H. Cohen 1, Nimish P. Hathi 2, Patrick J. McCarthy 3, Russell E. Ryan, Jr. 4, Haojing Yan 5, Ivan K. Baldry 6, Simon P. Driver 7, Jay A. Frogel 8, David T. Hill 7, Lee S. Kelvin 7, Anton M. Koekemoer 9, Matt Mechtley 1, Robert W. O'Connell 10, Aaron S. G. Robotham 7, Michael J. Rutkowski 1, Mark Seibert 3, Richard J. Tuffs 11, Bruce Balick 12, Howard E. Bond 9, Howard Bushouse 9, Daniela Calzetti 13, Mark Crockett 14, Michael J. Disney 15, Michael A. Dopita 16, Donald N. B. Hall 17, Jon A. Holtzman 18, Sugata Kaviraj 14, Randy A. Kimble 19, John W. MacKenty 9, Max Mutchler 9, Francesco Paresce20, Abihit Saha 21, Joseph I. Silk 14, John Trauger 22, Alistair R. Walker 23, Bradley C. Whitmore 9, & Erick Young 24 Submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, May, 2010 ABSTRACT We describe the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) Early Re- lease Science (ERS) observations in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) South field. The new WFC3 ERS data provide calibrated, drizzled mosaics in the mid-UV filters F225W, F275W, and F336W, as well as in the near-IR filters F098W (Ys), F125W (J), and F160W (H) in 1{2 HST orbits per filter. Together with the existing HST Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) GOODS-South mosaics in the BVi'z' filters, these panchromatic 10-band ERS data cover 40{50 square arcmin from from 0.2-1.7 µm in wavelength at 000:07{ 00 00 < 0:15 FWHM resolution and 0:090 multidrizzled pixels to depths of AB ∼ 26.0{27.0 mag < (5-sigma) for point sources, and AB ∼ 25.5{26.5 mag for compact galaxies. In this paper, we describe: a) the scientific rationale, and the data taking plus reduction procedures of the panchromatic 10-band ERS mosaics; b) the procedure of generating object catalogs across the 10 different ERS filters, and the specific star-galaxy separation techniques used; and c) the reliability and completeness of the object catalogs from the WFC3 ERS mosaics. The excellent 000:07{000:15 FWHM resolution of HST/WFC3 and ACS makes star- < galaxy separation rather straightforward over a factor of 10 in wavelength to AB ∼ 25{26 mag from the UV to the near-IR, respectively. Our main scientific results are: 1) We present the resulting Galactic star counts and galaxy counts in 10 different filters. < From the ERS data, these could be accurately determined from AB'19 mag to AB ∼ 26 from the mid-UV to the near-IR, respectively. 2) Both the Galactic stars counts and the galaxy counts show mild but significant trends of decreasing count slopes from the mid{UV to the near-IR over a factor of 10 in wavelength. 3) We combine the 10-band ERS counts with the panchromatic GAMA counts at the bright < < end (10 ∼ AB ∼ 20 mag), and with the ultradeep BVizYJH HUDF counts and other avail- < < able HST UV counts at the faint end (24 ∼ AB ∼ 30 mag). The galaxy counts are now well < < measured over the entire magnitude range 10 ∼ AB ∼ 30 mag from 0.2{2 µm in wavelength. 4) We fit simple galaxy evolution models to these panchromatic galaxy counts over this entire flux range, using the best available 10-band local galaxy luminosity functions (LFs) from the GAMA survey, as well as simple prescriptions of luminosity and/or density evolution. < < While these models can explain each of the 10-band counts from 10 ∼ AB ∼ 30 mag well, no single one of these simple models can explain the counts over this entire flux range in all 10 filters simultaneously. arXiv:1005.2776v1 [astro-ph.CO] 16 May 2010 5) The 10-band panchromatic ERS data base is very rich in structural information at all rest-frame wavelengths where young or older stars shine during the peak epoch in the cosmic star-formation rate (z'1{2), and constitutes a unique new HST data base for the community to explore in the future. Subject headings: galaxies: evolution | galaxies: counts | galaxies: luminosity function, mass function | infrared: galaxies | ultraviolet: galaxies [email protected] 1 School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State California, Riverside, CA 92521 University, P.O. Box 871404, Tempe, AZ 85287 3 Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washing- 2 Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of ton, Pasadena, CA 91101-1292 2 4 Department of Physics, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 5 Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 6 Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, Birkenhead CH41 1LD, United King- dom 7 School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St An- drews, Fife KY16 9SS, UK 8 Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Washington, DC 20005 9 Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218 10 Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4325 11 Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics (MPIK), Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany 12 Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1580 13 Department of Astronomy, University of Mas- sachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 14 Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom 15 School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3AA, United Kingdom 16 Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Australian National University, Weston Creek, ACT 2611, Australia 17 Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Hon- olulu, HI 96822 18 Department of Astronomy, New Mexico State Univer- sity, Las Cruces, NM 88003 19 NASA{Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 20 INAF{IASF Bologna, Via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy 21 National Optical Astronomy Observatories, Tucson, AZ 85726-6732 22 NASA{Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109 23 Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, La Serena, Chile 24 NASA{Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 3 1. INTRODUCTION verse, amongst many of its possible science goals. 1.1. Scientific Background With the exquisite spectral coverage (0.2{1.7 µm), very high spatial resolution (000:04{000:16 FWHM), The study of the formation and evolution of galax- fine pixel sampling (000:039{000:13 FWHM), and high ies and large scale structure are amongst the most < sensitivity of WFC3 (AB ∼ 26{27 mag in 2 orbits; active interfaces between theory and observation in 10-σ for point sources), many new interesting ques- modern astrophysics. Galaxies are believed to have tions and outstanding problems can be addressed formed gradually over cosmic time from a combina- with the WFC3 ERS data. By sampling the vac- tion of merging and internal star-formation (Hop- uum UV with high sensitivity and the very high kins et al. 2006), regulated by feedback from stellar angular resolution afforded by the diffraction lim- winds, supernovae, and/or AGN (Scannapieco et al. ited 2.4 m Hubble Space Telescope, WFC3 can ob- 2005; di Matteo, Springel, & Hernquist 2005). The serve star-forming regions in galaxies over most of origin of the Hubble sequence is not yet understood, the Hubble time. The near-IR channel on WFC3 al- but is likely related to the balance between major lows one to do restframe visible band photometry of mergers versus minor accretion events and steady distant galaxies to very low stellar masses, and over infall (Conselice 2003; Hopkins et al. 2010) The crit- areas large enough to provide representative sam- ical epoch for the assembly of massive galaxies ap- ples. Together, the panchromatic images produced pears to be the ∼4 Gyr span from redshift z'3 to by WFC3 allows the user to decompose distant z'1 (e.g., Driver et al. 1998). > galaxies into their constituent substructures, exam- At redshifts ∼ 2{3, deep Hubble Space Telescope ine their internal stellar populations, and help con- (HST) imaging surveys and ground-based spec- strain their dust content.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • STS-103 Table of Contents Mission Overview
    Refining the Hubble Space Telescope's View of the Universe SPACESPACESPACE SHUTTLESHUTTLESHUTTLE PRESSKITPRESSKITPRESSKIT WWW.SHUTTLEPRESSKIT.COM Updated November 24, 1999 STS-103 Table of Contents Mission Overview ......................................................................................................... 1 Mission Profile .............................................................................................................. 8 Crew.............................................................................................................................. 10 Flight Day Summary Timeline ...................................................................................................14 Rendezvous Rendezvous, Retrieval and Deploy ......................................................................................................18 EVA Hubble Space Telescope Extravehicular Activity ..................................................................................21 EVA Timeline ........................................................................................................................................24 Payloads Fine Guidance Sensor .........................................................................................................................27 Gyroscopes .........................................................................................................................................28 New Advanced Computer .....................................................................................................................30
    [Show full text]
  • Hubble Space Telescope
    HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE Pioneering optics made by Ball Aerospace are ® GO BEYOND WITH BALL. responsible for the Hubble Space Telescope’s iconic images and revolutionary discoveries. In total, Ball has built seven instruments for Hubble, including the five currently aboard the telescope. Beginning with the first servicing mission in 1993 through the fourth in 2009, Ball’s advanced optical technologies have extended Hubble’s operational life and enabled the telescope to help us understand our universe as never before. OUR ROLE QUICK FACTS Since scientists began formulating the idea for Hubble, • Ball-built seven science instruments for the first major optical telescope in space, Ball played a Hubble, two star trackers, five major leave- part, providing a total of seven science instruments flown behind equipment subsystems. on Hubble. Today, Ball supports COS, WFC3, ACS, STIS and NICMOS and provides on-orbit mission operations • Each of the five science instruments now support. After the last servicing mission in 2009, Hubble’s operating on the telescope were Ball-designed unprecedented science capabilities made it the premier and built. space-based telescope for ultraviolet, optical and near- • Ball-built COSTAR was installed during infrared astronomy. Servicing Mission 1 in 1993 along with JPL’s Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) WFPC-2 to correct Hubble’s hazy vision. COS is the most sensitive ultraviolet spectrograph ever • Ball developed more than eight custom tools built for space and replaced the Ball-built COSTAR in 2009. to support astronauts during COS improved Hubble’s ultraviolet sensitivity at least 10 servicing missions. times and up to 70 times when observing very faint objects, like distant quasars, massive celestial objects, too faint for previous spectrographs.
    [Show full text]
  • Space Reporter's Handbook Mission Supplement
    CBS News Space Reporter's Handbook - Mission Supplement Page 1 The CBS News Space Reporter's Handbook Mission Supplement Shuttle Mission STS-125: Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4 Written and Produced By William G. Harwood CBS News Space Analyst [email protected] CBS News 5/10/09 Page 2 CBS News Space Reporter's Handbook - Mission Supplement Revision History Editor's Note Mission-specific sections of the Space Reporter's Handbook are posted as flight data becomes available. Readers should check the CBS News "Space Place" web site in the weeks before a launch to download the latest edition: http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/current.html DATE RELEASE NOTES 08/03/08 Initial STS-125 release 04/11/09 Updating to reflect may 12 launch; revised flight plan 04/15/09 Adding EVA breakdown; walkthrough 04/23/09 Updating for 5/11 launch target date 04/30/09 Adding STS-400 details from FRR briefing 05/04/09 Adding trajectory data; abort boundaries; STS-400 launch windows Introduction This document is an outgrowth of my original UPI Space Reporter's Handbook, prepared prior to STS-26 for United Press International and updated for several flights thereafter due to popular demand. The current version is prepared for CBS News. As with the original, the goal here is to provide useful information on U.S. and Russian space flights so reporters and producers will not be forced to rely on government or industry public affairs officers at times when it might be difficult to get timely responses. All of these data are available elsewhere, of course, but not necessarily in one place.
    [Show full text]
  • Wide Field Camera 3 Instrument Mini-Handbook for Cycle 16
    Version 3.0 October 2006 Wide Field Camera 3 Instrument Mini-Handbook for Cycle 16 For long-term planning only Do not propose for WFC3 in Cycle 16 Space Telescope Science Institute 3700 San Martin Drive Baltimore, Maryland 21218 [email protected] Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration User Support For prompt answers to any question, please contact the STScI Help Desk. • E-mail: [email protected] • Phone: (410) 338-1082 (800) 544-8125 (U.S., toll free) World Wide Web Information and other resources are available on the WFC3 World Wide Web sites at STScI and GSFC: • URL: http://www.stsci.edu/hst/wfc3 • URL: http://wfc3.gsfc.nasa.gov WFC3 Mini-Handbook Revision History Version Date Editor 3.0 October 2006 Howard E. Bond 2.0 October 2003 Massimo Stiavelli 1.0 October 2002 Mauro Giavalisco Contributors: Sylvia Baggett, Tom Brown, Howard Bushouse, Mauro Giavalisco, George Hartig, Bryan Hilbert, Randy Kimble, Matt Lallo, Olivia Lupie, John MacKenty, Larry Petro, Neill Reid, Massimo Robberto, Massimo Stiavelli. Citation: In publications, refer to this document as: Bond, H. E., et al. 2006, “Wide Field Camera 3 Instrument Mini-Handbook, Version 3.0” (Baltimore: STScI) Send comments or corrections to: Space Telescope Science Institute 3700 San Martin Drive Baltimore, Maryland 21218 E-mail:[email protected] Acknowledgments The WFC3 Science Integrated Product Team (2006) Sylvia Baggett Howard Bond Tom Brown Howard Bushouse George Hartig Bryan Hilbert Robert Hill (GSFC)
    [Show full text]
  • Hubble Space Telescope Primer for Cycle 18
    January 2010 Hubble Space Telescope Primer for Cycle 18 An Introduction to HST for Phase I Proposers Space Telescope Science Institute 3700 San Martin Drive Baltimore, Maryland 21218 [email protected] Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration How to Get Started If you are interested in submitting an HST proposal, then proceed as follows: • Visit the Cycle 18 Announcement Web page: http://www.stsci.edu/hst/proposing/docs/cycle18announce Then continue by following the procedure outlined in the Phase I Roadmap available at: http://apst.stsci.edu/apt/external/help/roadmap1.html More technical documentation, such as that provided in the Instrument Handbooks, can be accessed from: http://www.stsci.edu/hst/HST_overview/documents Where to Get Help • Visit STScI’s Web site at: http://www.stsci.edu • Contact the STScI Help Desk. Either send e-mail to [email protected] or call 1-800-544-8125; from outside the United States and Canada, call [1] 410-338-1082. The HST Primer for Cycle 18 was edited by Francesca R. Boffi, with the technical assistance of Susan Rose and the contributions of many others from STScI, in particular Alessandra Aloisi, Daniel Apai, Todd Boroson, Brett Blacker, Stefano Casertano, Ron Downes, Rodger Doxsey, David Golimowski, Al Holm, Helmut Jenkner, Jason Kalirai, Tony Keyes, Anton Koekemoer, Jerry Kriss, Matt Lallo, Karen Levay, John MacKenty, Jennifer Mack, Aparna Maybhate, Ed Nelan, Sami-Matias Niemi, Cheryl Pavlovsky, Karla Peterson, Larry Petro, Charles Proffitt, Neill Reid, Merle Reinhart, Ken Sembach, Paula Sessa, Nancy Silbermann, Linda Smith, Dave Soderblom, Denise Taylor, Nolan Walborn, Alan Welty, Bill Workman and Jim Younger.
    [Show full text]
  • Stsci Newsletter: 2011 Volume 028 Issue 02
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration Interacting Galaxies UGC 1810 and UGC 1813 Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) 2011 VOL 28 ISSUE 02 NEWSLETTER Space Telescope Science Institute We received a total of 1,007 proposals, after accounting for duplications Hubble Cycle 19 and withdrawals. Review process Proposal Selection Members of the international astronomical community review Hubble propos- als. Grouped in panels organized by science category, each panel has one or more “mirror” panels to enable transfer of proposals in order to avoid conflicts. In Cycle 19, the panels were divided into the categories of Planets, Stars, Stellar Rachel Somerville, [email protected], Claus Leitherer, [email protected], & Brett Populations and Interstellar Medium (ISM), Galaxies, Active Galactic Nuclei and Blacker, [email protected] the Inter-Galactic Medium (AGN/IGM), and Cosmology, for a total of 14 panels. One of these panels reviewed Regular Guest Observer, Archival, Theory, and Chronology SNAP proposals. The panel chairs also serve as members of the Time Allocation Committee hen the Cycle 19 Call for Proposals was released in December 2010, (TAC), which reviews Large and Archival Legacy proposals. In addition, there Hubble had already seen a full cycle of operation with the newly are three at-large TAC members, whose broad expertise allows them to review installed and repaired instruments calibrated and characterized. W proposals as needed, and to advise panels if the panelists feel they do not have The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS), the expertise to review a certain proposal. Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS), Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), and The process of selecting the panelists begins with the selection of the TAC Chair, Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) were all close to nominal operation and were avail- about six months prior to the proposal deadline.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hubble Legacy Fields (HLF-GOODS-S) V1.5 Data Products: Combining 2442 Orbits of GOODS-S/CDF-S Region ACS and WFC3/IR Images
    !1 The Hubble Legacy Fields (HLF-GOODS-S) v1.5 Data Products: Combining 2442 Orbits of GOODS-S/CDF-S Region ACS and WFC3/IR Images. Garth Illingworth1, Daniel Magee1, Rychard Bouwens2, Pascal Oesch3, Ivo Labbe2, Pieter van Dokkum3, Katherine Whitaker4, Bradford Holden1, Marijn Franx2, and Valentino Gonzalez5 Abstract We have submitted to MAST the 1.5 version data release of the Hubble Legacy Fields (HLF) project covering a 25 x 25 arcmin area over the GOODS-S (ECDF-S) region from the HST archival program AR-13252. The release combines exposures from Hubble's two main cameras, the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS/WFC) and the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3/IR), taken over more than a decade between mid-2002 to the end of 2016. The HLF includes essentially all optical (ACS/WFC F435W, F606W, F775W, F814W and F850LP filters) and infrared (WFC3/ IR F098M, F105W, F125W, F140W and F160W filters) data taken by Hubble over the original CDF-S region including the GOODS-S, ERS, CANDELS and many other programs (31 in total). The data has been released at https://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/hlf/ as images with a common astrometric reference frame, with corresponding inverse variance weight maps. We provide one image per filter of WFC3/IR images at 60 mas per pixel resolution and two ACS/WFC images per filter, at both 30 and 60 mas per pixel. Since this comprehensive dataset combines data from 31 programs on the GOODS-S/CDF-S, the AR proposal identified the MAST products by the global name "Hubble Legacy Field”, with this region being identified by “HLF-GOODS-S”.
    [Show full text]
  • Pradip Gatkine
    1 Pradip Gatkine NASA Earth and Space Science Fellow Email: [email protected] 1248, Physical Sciences Complex, www.astro.umd.edu/∼pgatkine/ University of Maryland, College Park MD 20742 Google Scholar, ADS Citizenship: Indian BRIEF BIO My key research interests include exploring the cosmic baryon cycle, high-redshift universe, and gamma- ray bursts. I use multi-wavelength observations to infer the early evolution of galaxies and how they enrich the universe with metals. I also design and build astrophotonic instruments to aid these pursuits. EDUCATION University of Maryland College Park PhD in Astronomy Expected in 2020 Thesis: Building astrophotonic spectrographs & Probing the early universe with Gamma-ray Bursts M.S. in Astronomy [GPA: 4.0/4.0] 2014-2016 Indian Institute of Technology Bombay 2010-2014 B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering (with Honors) and Minor in Physics [GPA: 8.8/10.0] AWARDS & HONORS • NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, with three years of graduate support ($45k/yr) 2018-20 • Rodger Doxsey Travel Prize, American Astronomical Society Winter Meeting 2020 • Andrew S. Wilson Prize for Excellence in Research, UMD Astronomy 2019 • Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award, Univ. of Maryland 2019 • GMT Science Meeting Travel Award ($300) 2019 • SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship ($3500), for the prospect of long term 2017 contribution to the field of optics and photonics, International Society for Optics and Photonics • Best Student Presentation award at SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016
    [Show full text]
  • Hubble 4Th May 2020
    The Hubble Space Telescope …. and it’s successor …. plus ‘Edwin Hubble, his life and work’ Context - what and where • Solar system • Distances • Stars and Galaxies • The Milky Way • Earliest Light The Solar System The Solar system formed about 5 billion (5 thousand million) years ago. The circumference of Earth is 40,000km (25,000 miles) and of the Moon is 11,000 km (6,800 miles). We are, on average, 93 million miles (150 million kms) from the Sun, and it takes 8 minutes 20 seconds for light from the Sun to reach the Earth. The average distance from the Earth to the Sun is also known as one Astronomical Unit (AU). Astronomical units are usually used to measure distances within our Solar System. The Earth orbits the Sun in one year. One day is the time it takes for the earth to spin round once. Other planets orbit at different rates; eg, Jupiter takes 12 years for one orbit of the Sun; Mars takes 687 days. The Moon orbits around the Earth once every 27.32 days. It is 250 thousand miles (400 thousand km) away, so it takes 1.3 seconds for light to travel from the Moon to us. Every individual star your eyes can see in the night sky is in the Milky Way Galaxy. Our Sun is just one minor star in one Galaxy Distances and times Distances in space are so huge that new measurements are needed. The distance measurement often used is the light-year, the distance that light travels in one year in a vacuum.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to the HST Data Handbooks
    Version 8.0 May 2011 Introduction to the HST Data Handbooks Space Telescope Science Institute 3700 San Martin Drive Baltimore, Maryland 21218 [email protected] Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration User Support For prompt answers to any question, please contact the STScI Help Desk. • Send E-mail to: [email protected]. • Phone: 410-338-1082. • Within the USA, you may call toll free: 1-800-544-8125. World Wide Web Information and other resources are available on the Web site: • URL: http://www.stsci.edu Revision History Version Date Editors 8.0 May 2011 Ed Smith Technical Editors: Susan Rose & Jim Younger 7.0 January 2009 HST Introduction Editors: Brittany Shaw, Jessica Kim Quijano, & Mary Elizabeth Kaiser HST Introduction Technical Editors: Susan Rose & Jim Younger 6.0 January 2006 HST Introduction Editor: Diane Karakla HST Introduction Technical Editors: Susan Rose & Jim Younger. 5.0 July 2004 Diane Karakla and Jennifer Mack, Editors, HST Introduction. Susan Rose, Technical Editor, HST Introduction. 4.0 January 2002 Bahram Mobasher, Chief Editor, HST Data Handbook Michael Corbin, Jin-chung Hsu, Editors, HST Introduction 3.1 March 1998 Tony Keyes 3.0, Vol. II October 1997 Tony Keyes 3.0, Vol. I October 1997 Mark Voit 2.0 December 1995 Claus Leitherer 1.0 February 1994 Stefi Baum Contributors The editors are grateful for the careful reviews and revised material provided by Azalee Boestrom, Howard Bushouse, Stefano Casertano, Warren Hack, Diane Karakla and Matt Lallo. Citation In publications, refer to this document as: Smith, E., et al.
    [Show full text]
  • HST Spacewalk History Spacecalc
    CBS News/Spaceflight Now HST Spacewalk Statistics 5/19/09 HST Spacewalk History SpaceCalc Flt STS No. Astronaut HH MM Hubble Space Telescope EVAs in Detail N/A STS-31 B McCandless 00 00 04/24/90: HST Launch 0 EVAs K Sullivan McCandless and Sullivan were suited up for an EVA when one of Hubble's solar arrays failed to unfurl as expected. Controllers later coaxed it open without needing a spacewalk. 29* STS-61 S Musgrave 07 53 12/02/93: HST Servicing Mission 1 5 EVAs J Hoffman 06 47 07 21 First mision with five spacewalks; astronauts installed the WFPC-2, COSTAR, four gyroscopes, gyro electronics and (*29th US T Akers 06 35 two new solar arrays. All mission objectives were accomplished, correcting HST's flawed optics. flight with an K Thornton 06 50 EVA; STS EVAs = 27) STS-61 TOTAL 35 26 35 STS-82 M Lee 06 42 02/11/97: HST Servicing Mission 2 5 EVAs S Smith 07 11 05 17 Four EVAs originally planned; fifth EVA added to repair peeling and flaking insulation. Objectives included G Harbaugh 07 27 installation of STIS, NICMOS, a fine guidance sensor, a solid-state recorder and a reaction wheel assembly (RWA- J Tanner 06 34 1). All objectives accomplished. STS-82 TOTAL 33 11 40 STS-103 S Smith* 08 15 12/19/99: HST Servicing Mission 3A 3 EVAs J Grunsfeld 08 08 Servicing Mission 3 was broken into two missions, SM-3A M Foale 08 10 and SM-3B, because of multiple gyroscope failures.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope
    PREPUBLICATION COPY Subject to Further Editorial Correction Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope Final Report Committee on the Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope Space Studies Board Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS Washington, D.C. www.nap.edu THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. Support for this project was provided by Contract NASW 01001 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors. Cover: International Standard Book Number 0-309-XXXXX-0 (Book) International Standard Book Number 0-309-XXXXX-0 (PDF) Copies of this report are available free of charge from Space Studies Board National Research Council The Keck Center of the National Academies 500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001 Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area); Internet, http://www.nap.edu.
    [Show full text]